Today, our day was mostly about driving. We left Fenton, MO to drive to Benton, AR, a route of 360 miles or 5.75 hours. However, the day would strictly be driving. We chose to include Ozark National Scenic Riverways in our route, which increased the mileage to 381 miles and time to about 6.5 hours; or so we thought.
We picked up breakfast at Starbucks before heading out. The Starbucks we went to had a really cool wall. Reset into the wood wall was a single shelf designed for books. Carved in the space underneath was these words: Give a book. Take a book. This Starbucks had created a lending library. What a great idea!
We drove for over an hour before we saw signs for Mark Twain National Forest. Since the forest is spread out into 6 sections over southern Missouri, we found ourselves driving in and out of the Mark Twain National Forest most of the day. A deer crossed the road in front of our car shortly after we got into the forest. It was quick to run into the woods on the other side of the road.
National Historic Site #36 - Ozark National Scenic Riverways
It took about 3 hours to reach the Ozark National Scenic Riverways Visitor Orientation Center in Van Buren, MO. We stretched our legs and went inside. A Park Ranger quickly approached us and struck up conversation. Since we were the only ones there, we figured she was very happy to see us. Apparently, she doesn't get to see a lot of visitors, which makes for a long day. We wanted more information and passport stamps, so we stopped. We knew we couldn't stop and see everything since it stretches about 134 miles. We wanted to know the "must sees." The Park Ranger told us the 2 places we needed to go, which weren't really close to each other. We decided we would go to Big Springs and then decide if we would go to Rocky Falls.
Big Springs was about 4 miles south of Van Buren. The drive through the Mark Twain National Forest was very scenic. We parked and walked down to the river flowing out of the spring. It was breathtaking. The water in the flowing river was so blue, but looked green in other places. Yet, when you looked close by the shore, it was clear. We walked a little further and saw the spring bubbling up from big rocks next to a large rock formation with a cave opening. The sound of this bubbling water was captivating. We stood there mesmerized. We had learned from the Park Ranger that Big Springs is the largest spring in Missouri and the third largest in the United States. The water from Big Springs flows into the Current River. After spending a little time there just observing, we got back in the car and headed back towards Van Buren.
Now, it was decision time. Did we want to go to the second destination, Rocky Falls? Oh, we wanted to, but should we take the time to drive the 36 miles north to get there? Robin's love of waterfalls won out and we headed to Rocky Falls. When we arrived, there were quite a few cars and RVs in the parking lot. As we walked the short trail to get to the falls, we saw several families sitting out on a sandbar in the small lake. They had their beach chairs, footballs, and food with them. Then we saw Rocky Falls. It was so beautiful! The moving water over the rocks was so peaceful. However, it was hard to enjoy the tranquility of the falls with kids yelling to each other, flying footballs obstructing the view, and the smacking of pool noodles as the teenagers used them as swords. We sat on a park bench for awhile, trying to tune out the distractions and enjoy the moment. Finally, we got up and started back up the trail. We saw a cool butterfly land on a park bench. We stopped and watched it for a few minutes. It just fanned its wings in the sunlight. After a few minutes, it was time to go.
With 235 miles to go to reach Benton, AR, we knew we had to keep driving. Again, we drove through the Mark Twain National Forest, and again, spotted a deer on the side of the road. It darted back into the forest as we drove by it.
State #19 - Arkansas
After driving a little while, we crossed the Arkansas state line.
We realized we we hungry so we found a Kentucky Fried Chicken in one of the little cities. We hadn't seen many options, so we stopped. Robin used the rest room first. When she came out, she had to get Dean to take a quick look inside. We both had a good laugh. We had never seen anything like this before, and hopefully, never again. Not only did we get dinner, but we had entertainment for the day!
Finally, we arrived at our final destination, Benton, AR. We had driven about 420 miles. It had taken over 9 hours, but we were at the end of our day. We stayed at another Fairfield Inn, but this one was much more typical of what we had seen. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The room was comfortable, and they HAD a guest laundry. We were going to be there 2 nights so the laundry could wait until tomorrow.
Happy was the word of the day. Dean was happy that the long drive was over. The Park Ranger was happy to see people and interact with them. Robin was happy to see the spring, falls, and deer. We both were happy to arrive safely and see the smiling faces at the hotel. Although we were very tired, we went to bed happy. It had been a good day.
